


Trust

by A Small World (Datawolf39)



Series: Henry's Little Secret [4]
Category: Forever (TV)
Genre: Comfort, Gentleness, Insecurity, Jo is a Good Friend, Nightmares, Sudden drop to Littlespace, Talking, Worry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2020-12-31 02:13:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21046016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Datawolf39/pseuds/A%20Small%20World
Summary: Lucas and Henry bonding.





	1. Nightmare and Comfort

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again. I know it's been a while since I updated this series. I read what I had written, lamented losing a story for the series I had written and not saved before the death of my laptop, and started writing this installment. The title is generic but i always have a hard time with that. 
> 
> This will have quite a few chapters because once I started it didn't seem to stop. So without further ado here we go.

It was so dark. 

Henry shivered. He didn’t like how dark it was, he didn’t like the uncertainty of it. He felt eyes looking at him, but it was too dark to see anything or anyone. He tried to scream, to call for help, but his voice was gone, stolen away by the darkness.

The void around him was closing in, he could feel it, and all he could do was wait as it stole everything from him. His breathing sped, and suddenly, the world seemed to have no air. He sank to the floor of the void, gasping, struggling to live, and…

Suddenly there was light. He opened his eyes, and blinked rapidly. For a moment, he couldn’t remember where he was or even when he was. Then, aided by light from beyond the door, his eyes landed on Lucas, his Luc, and all of it came back to him. For a moment, he was trapped between his Little self, and his Big self, both sides warring for control. His Big self wanted him to leave, to redress in his suit and scarf, to return to the shop, and let this become just like the times before it. His Little self, growing in power each time he allowed himself to fall, urged him to stay, wanted him to remain in this safe place with his protector.

Remembering the dream, the darkness that had consumed him, tipped the scale in favor of his Little side, and he could feel the tears start to well up. He curled himself into a small ball on his cot, and tried not to be too loud, he didn’t want to wake his Luc, he was Little, but he wasn’t a baby, and Luc wouldn’t be happy if he got woke up, and then he might stop caring for him. The thought made the tears rain down quicker, but he fought to stay quiet.

His Luc had done so much for him, he had taken him in, gave him a bath, gave him Vix, and shared his room, his most personal of spaces, by adding a cot for him to sleep on. He couldn’t ask for more than that.

“Hey, little guy, what happened? Did you have a bad dream?” 

Henry jumped. Luc was sitting on the edge of his cot, somehow he hadn’t even heard him move. Luc looked tired, but the worry was more than enough to keep him awake it seemed, and it made Henry feel really guilty.

“Not mean to wake you Luc,” he said softly.

“Henry, if something is wrong I want to be up so that I can help you,” Lucas said gently.

That kindness was all it took for Henry’s control to shatter. 

The tears that had slacked up due to surprise streamed down his face once more, and his cries got louder. 

Lucas pulled him in, holding him, and rubbing soothing circles on his back. All the while he was whispering soft words of comfort.

“Everything just was alls dark, an nobody was there and... I just so scared,” Henry managed to say after a few minutes. His voice was quiet, and it broke several times.

“You’re not alone,” Lucas said gently, the words held the air of a promise.

Henry wanted to respond, to thank him, but he couldn’t, all he could do was cling, and let his tears fall. 

Thankfully, Luc seemed to hear what he was not able to say. Slowly, Lucas guided him back into laying down, and tucked Vix into bed with him. He remained there until Henry drifted off again.

Lucas woke to an empty cot, the pajamas lay folded atop the covers, and Vix was sat beside the pajamas, obviously placed there with care. Henry had once again left before. Lucas woke, and it made him sad. He wished he knew how to make Henry stay. Why did he have to leave? 

It wasn’t a lack of clothes, he had a spare set here, Lucas had made sure of that after the first time he had stayed the night. Maybe it had something to do with Abe? Lucas shook his head, that probably played a part, but Henry had no qualms staying overnight at the office, so that couldn’t be the whole reason. Maybe he was embarrassed? Again, while that may be a part of it, Henry seemed genuinely happy to see him at work after he had spent the night, so that couldn’t be the whole reason either.

Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. Fear was the culprit. Fear and shame. Henry had confessed that he was ashamed of this side of himself. As a caregiver, Lucas made sure to show affection to Henry’s Little side, but he had never actively asked to spend time with him. He made Henry come to him every time because he didn’t want to smother him, but maybe, just maybe, what Henry needed from him, was for Lucas to see when he was fraying, when he needed the release from responsibility, and all the other weight on him, and instead of waiting to be asked, to just reach out and offer it. Maybe if he became more active, Henry would stay.

Fueled with resolve, he got ready for the day, and headed to work. Henry was there when he arrived, just as he normally was, and he seemed to be doing well, and that was a relief, he had worried that the nightmare would not bode well for the coming day.

"Hey doc," Lucas greeted him.

"Mr. Wahl," Henry responded.

"Anything I can help with?"

"Not at the moment."

"Think it will be quiet today?"

"One can hope."

"I'll be at my desk if you need me."

"Mr. W- Lucas."

"Is something wrong."

"No. I just wished to thank you, and to apologize. Last night was truly an imposition on your time. I apologize for that."

"Doc, listen, last night was-"

"I'm sorry am I interrupting something?" Jo asked.

"No, of course not detective, what can I do for you?" Henry asked.

Jo shot Lucas an apologetic look, knowing that whatever conversation she had interrupted was important, but she laid out the current case, she really did need Henry's help. With any luck they would finish the conversation later, if not, well she had gotten them to talk to each other once, she could do it again if needed.


	2. Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jo makes them talk...again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why is moving so hard? I just wanna write fic and be happy but moving is taking so much time.

Jo was not an idiot, she could tell that she had interrupted at a truly inopportune moment. If she hadn't realized it, Henry being so subdued on the ride to the crime scene would have been all the evidence she needed to see it.

"Is everything okay Henry?"

"Yes, of course, why wouldn't it be, detective?"

"Henry an idiot could see that something was on your mind," he opened his mouth, but she spoke before he could, "I am not an idiot, and it clearly isn't the case, so don’t even bother to tell that lie."

"It is a personal matter," he admitted, a slight blush showed his embarrassment at being caught. 

Well it was rather embarrassing being called out like that, Jo had experienced it a time or two herself, but that was a hazard of letting people get to know you.

"I thought you and Lucas would have patched things up by now," she said with a worried frown.

"We did talk, the conversation actually went very well," he said smiling at the memory. "This is about a different matter."

Jo sighed, she couldn't let him work like this. Sure he could probably do the examination, and give her all the relevant information, and some irrelevant, but she would be a bad friend if she just allowed this to fester when she could easily do something about it. "Here," she said, handing over her phone. "Call him, and sort it out," with that, she got out of the car and walked away.

Henry sighed. He looked at the little device, considered ignoring the order he had been given, before realizing how silly that would be and doing as he had been told. The phone rang three times, and foe a moment he thought that it would go to voicemail, but on the forth ring, it was answered.

“Hello? Detective?”

“Jo said we should talk, I believe she is right.”

“Doc. Hey, you don’t sound too good. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“If you say so,” Lucas said, clearly not believing him, but willing to put it aside for now.

“What were you going to say?” Henry finally asked unsure if he really wanted to know, but knowing that he needed to. “Before we were interrupted, what were you going to say about last night?”

“That I didn’t mind. I was happy to be able to offer comfort to you.”

“Why?” Henry winced. He hadn’t meant to ask that.

“Because you are my friend. Even before everything happened, I cared for you as a friend Doc, and I still do.”

“Luc…” Henry said, finding himself falling before he could stop himself.

“Hey,” Lucas said, voice gentle. 

“Wanna be with you,” Henry said sadly.

“I know, I know. Listen, can you do something for me?”

“Mmmhmm.”

“First I need you to know I really care about you, you know that?”

“Mmmhmmm.”

“I need you to be the Doc right now. You have to help the detective solve the case, that needs to be the priority right now.”

“Kay Luc.”

“After that we can go home okay?”

“But-”

“No, we are going to relax after work.”

“Kay Luc.”

“Now what has to happen?”

“Help solve case, then I get go home with you.”

“Good. Don’t hang up until you’re ready.”

Henry took a breath, and another. It was hard to be what he needed to be, but he drew strength from the man on the other side of the phone call, and from the knowledge that he would be cared for at least for another night.

“Thank you, Lucas.”

“No problem doc. Now go out there, and stun everyone with some obvious details that they've missed.”

Henry chuckled. “I will endeavor to do just that.”

“See you soon, doc.”

“See you soon.” Henry replied before ending the call. 

Henry took another breath, gazed at himself in the mirror, he looked a little worse for the wear, but nothing that would prevent him from leaving the vehicle.

“Thank you,” he said as he handed the phone back to Jo.

“You okay?”

Maybe he looked worse than he thought. “I’m quite alright,” he assured her.

Jo nodded, seeing the honesty there, and walked him over to the victim.


	3. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry is (unnecessarily) a bit worried

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because someone asked for more and I already had this written and kinda just forgot to update.

Seeing Lucas when he returned to the morgue was almost enough to drop him right into his Littlespace. The surprise at this was the only thing that helped him stop himself. 

"Henry?"

Sometimes it was truly a curse that many of those that he was close to were in law enforcement, a career which, usually, drew in observant individuals.

"I'm quite alright, I just realized something that might prove to be an obstacle in the future."

"Henry, you know you can talk to me if you need to."

"I know that Jo," he said with a soft smile. 

"Well make sure you remember it. I've been worried about you."

"I'm sorry. I know it may not seem like it but I do try not to worry you."

Jo gave a small laugh. "You are really bad at not worrying others."

"I agree with the detective," Lucas said. 

"Thank you for your input Mr. Wahl," Henry said. "Now, if you two are finished insulting me we have work to do."

Jo and Lucas smiled at each other, it was quite satisfying to get a reaction out of Henry that broke that dapper facade of his.

~

"Good work today guys," Jo said. It was rather late, but they had figured out a lot even if they had to go searching the archives to find the information they needed.

"Night," Lucas said, going to collect his things so he could head home.

Henry followed after bidding Jo goodnight. He walked slowly, anxiously wondering if Lucas would be gone when he got there.

When he reached the door, Lucas was coming out. "Here is your coat. "We've gotta hurry if we are going to make the train."

"Home?"

"Of course. I did promise didn't I."

"Thought you not remember."

Lucas frowned at that, the only thing to cure insecurity was the continual provision of security. With that thought in mind, he helped Henry into his coat, and slipped his hand into Henry's. He tugged gently, and Henry quickly followed. 

The train ride home was quite pleasant. Henry leaned against him, for most of it, with his eyes shut. Lucas knew he was awake, but he was more than willing to allow the contact.

Henry actually began to doze a few stops before theirs, perhaps because the day had been more tiring with the sudden drop into Littlespace, and then having to come up just as quickly. Lucas let him rest until their stop was next and then shook him a little, to wake him. Henry still seemed half asleep so Lucas grabbed his hand to guide him. 

The walk to Lucas's apartment was silent, but comfortably so, with both of them enjoying the night air, and the present company. The movement seemed to wake Henry a little, which was a relief because he didn't have to worry about Henry tripping over his own feet.

Once they were in the apartment, Lucas locked the door, and turned on the light. "Bath tonight?" he asked.

Henry shook his head as he yawned. "Sleepy," he mumbled.

"Me too," Lucas agreed.

That settled he helped Henry out of his suit, and dressed him in his diaper and fox onesie. Then he handed Vix to him and led him to the bedroom. He was tucked in, and half asleep by the moment his head hit the pillow.

Having seen to Henry's comfort, Lucas wasted no time throwing on his own pajamas, and climbing into bed.

"Night Luc," Henry said.

"Night Henry. Sweet dreams."


End file.
